Chicago film critics nominate favs

"A Beautiful Mind," the film about a tortured math genius, led nominations Thursday for the 14th annual Chicago Film Critics Awards, to be presented Feb. 25.

The film, directed by Ron Howard and starring Russell Crowe, received six nominations, followed by David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" and the independent film "In the Bedroom," which tied for second place with five nominations each.

The Chicago Film Critics Association's (CFCA) 49 members, from print, broadcast and online media, will vote on five nominees in 13 categories, including best film, best director, best actor and actress, and the new categories of most promising director and most promising performer.

The awards will be presented in a much-less lavish affair this year that, due to the economic downturn and a subsequent lack of corporate sponsors, will not be open to the public as it has been in previous years. Instead, the winners will be announced in a press conference at the Goodman Theatre.

Also, unlike some previous years, this year's nominees represent a "healthy cross-section of independent and studio works," ranging from smaller films such as "Waking Life" to the big budget "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," said CFCA President Dann Gire.

Best film nominees are: "A Beautiful Mind," "In the Bedroom," "The Lord of the Rings," "Mulholland Drive" and "Waking Life."